This invention relates to new and useful improvements in animal facilities, and in particular to facilities having a movable assembly such as a manure or dung scraper as described and illustrated in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,960,110 dated June 1, 1976.
In that patent, is illustrated an animal facility having an automatically movable assembly compising a scraper for removing dung. It is shown adapted to be used in an alleyway between opposing pairs of farrowing stalls or the like with the alleyway being divided by one or more partitions, into sections.
The teachings of this patent and the present invention are useful in a variety of animal facilities for cattle, pigs and other animals, especially free stall animal facilities in which the animal is free to leave the farrowing stall for eating, drinking, exercising and dunging, suitably in an alleyway near the stall.
The above mentioned patent shows means for automatically reversing the scraper if an obstruction is engaged by the scraper and it also includes an electrode which is seucred to the scraper. This electrode is charged only when an animal obstructs the scraper by putting pressure on same which allows the animals to play with the scraper, throwing it off track unless sufficient pressure is exerted opposite to the direction of movement which then activates the electrode. The current is carried to the scraper by a cable which normally lies in the wet gutter adjacent the alleyway and is therefore limited to approximately 100 ft. because of loss of shocking current.
The present invention overcomes disadvantages inherent in existing equipment inasmuch as it is not limited by the length of the gutter and the shock is introduced into the scraper only as it travels under the partitions or gates when moving from pen to pen.
There is no indiscriminate punishment as animals are exposed to shock only as the scraper travels through their pens and the scraper may be charged with a slight electrical shock while carrying the manure and eliminates animals from playing with the scraper as it is performing its cleaning function.
In accordance with the invention there is provided in an animal facility having a moving facility such as a manure scraper assembly, moving along an alleyway having at least one partition across the alleyway, said moving facility passing under the partition and includes a longitudinally extending, elongated, electrically conducting member extending forwardly and rearwardly thereof; and a source of electrical energy; the improvement comprising means to electrify the moving facility only as the elongated member passes under the partition, said means including a mounting support securable to said partition, current carrying means engaging the elongated member of the moving facility as it passes under the partition, means mounting said current carrying means to said mounting support and electrically insulated therefrom and means operatively connecting said current carrying means to the source of electrical energy.
Another aspect of the invention consists of an animal facility including an alleyway and at least one partition across said alleyway with the lower end thereof spaced above the floor of said alleyway, a manure scraper movable along said alleyway and under said partition and a source of electrical energy, means to electrify the manure scraper as it passes underneath the partition, said means including a mounting support securable to said partition, current carrying means engaging the manure scraper as it passes under the partition, means mounting said current carrying means to said mounting support and electrically insulated therefrom and means operatively connecting said current carrying means to the source of electrical energy.
A further advantage of the invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which is simple in construction, economical in manufacture and otherwise well suited to the purpose from which it is designed.